Dehumidifier

ABSTRACT

An improved dehumidifier which is of very simple type for removing moisture out of a room&#39;&#39;s air; the device consisting of a tank filled with water that is mixed with a commercially prepared anti-freeze solution such as Prestone, a tubular coil made of aluminum being submerged in the tank liquid, one end of the coil being connected to an external air outlet box, whereby the liquid is maintained cool so that room air moving through the coil is cooled so that its moisture content is dropped; the moisture running out of a drain pipe connected to the coil.

Appl. No.: 495,443

U.S. Cl. 62/406; 62/96; 62/430;

United States Patent 1191 111'] 3,910,062 Rojas Oct. 7, 1975 [54]DEHUMIDIFIER 2,237,332 4/1941 Bretzlaff 62/93 3,050,954 8/1962 Royse[76] Inventor: Franusco Ro as, 3615 Woolworth 3,057,166 W962 Thompson -1233 Broadway, New York, 3,119,673 1 1964 Asker 62/94 [22] Filed: Aug. 7,1974 Primary Examiner-William J. Wye

[ 57] ABSTRACT An improved dehumidifier which is of very simple type forremoving moisture out of a rooms air; the device consisting of a tankfilled with water that is mixed with a commercially prepared anti-freezesolution such as Prestone, a tubular coil made of aluminum beingsubmerged in the tank liquid, one end of the coil being connected to anexternal air outlet box, whereby the liquid is maintained cool so thatroom air moving through the coil is cooled so that its moisture contentis dropped; the moisture running out of a drain pipe connected to thecoil.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 62/435; 62/93; 62/317; 62/94; 62/285 [51]Int. Cl. F25D 17/04 [58] Field of Search 62/96, 406, 430, 435, 98,62/99, 93, 317, 272

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,657,447 l/l928 Lindseth62/406 2,000,467 5/l935 2,170,993 8/1939 2,173,405 9/l939 2,203,6856/l940 it t h i as 'I (III US. Patent Oct. 7,1975

House. HOLD DEHUMIDIFIER This invention relates generally todehumidifiers. A principle object of the present invention is to pro-,vide a dehumidifier of very elementary type so .to remove moisturefrom aroom air so that a person is more comfortable without the necessity ofpurchasing an air conditioner. 1

Another object is "to provide a dehumidifier which is readily portableand can be made in any of various sizes. v h

Other objects are to provide adehumidifiiwhich is simple in design,inexpensiveto manufacture, rugged in construction, easy to use andefficient in operation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of thefollowing specification and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side cross sectional view showing one design of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a drain outlet connectionthereof.

FIG. 3 is a side cross sectional view of a modified de, sign of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is aside view of still another modified design of the i nventionthat employs cold water from a faucet as a cooling agent.

FIG. 5 shows a mechanism thereof.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, and more particularly toFIGS. 1 and 2 at this time, the reference numeral representa adehumidifier according to the present invention wherein there is a tank11 that contains a solution 12 of water and anti-freeze such asPrestone, or the like.

A tubular coil 13 is submerged in the solution, one end of the coilbeing connected to an external air blower 14. The other end of the coilis connected to an external air outlet box 15.

In using the device, the solution is made to have a cool termperature ofapproximately 45 for the summer months. The Prestone in this deviceserves as a coolant compound that prevents the water to evaporate. Thuswhen room air is circulated through the device it will come outconsiderably more cool and less humid than when going in; it being wellknown that as air is cooled its moisture content condenses, leaving itmore dry.

A drain pipe 16 is connected to the coil 13 so that condensed moistureremoved from the air is allowed to run out.

A needle valve 17 is provided at the junction of the drain pipe and thecoil. The pipe is screw threaded at 18 into the coil. A metal washer 19and rubber seal 20 are fitted around a flared end 21 of the pipe, andthe pipe is soldered at 22 to the tank. The pipe forms a needle tube.

The lower end of the pipe has a thread 23, for being fitted with awinged nut 24.

By tightening the nut, the needle valve will close and prevent tankwater to escape through the tube. Moisture condensation from the coil isalways accessible to drain outward through the pipe.

The tank may be lined with aluminum liner 51. The tank may be mountedupon four legs having caster wheels at their lower end so it can bereadily mounted between rooms.

In FIG. 3, a modified design of dehumidifier 25 includes a tank 26containing aluminum coil 27 over a false bottom mesh screen 28 spacedabout an inch v above a tank bottom wall 29. This tank is filled withsolid calcium chloride 30 broken into lumps. A lid 31 on tophermetically sealsithe tank, interior.

The calciurn chlorideover .the coil accomplishes the condensation" ofrnoisture from air 32 that flows through the coil. A drain outlet 33 inthe tank bottom allows dissolved calcium chloride tobedrained away intoa collection container.

In a tank 34, a solution of ethylene glycol (such as Prestone antifreeze) is in proportions of two gallons of cold water or ice cubes andone quart of the ethylene glycol. This solution 35 thus formed, keepsthe water in tank 34 from quick evaporating and the ice cube from fastmelting. The solution should thus easily be maintained cool for abouta'week, with only a small addition of ice' cubesoccassionally. The tank34 is also hermetically sealed by a lid 36 to keep out heat.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, another modified design 37 of the invention consistsof tank 38 in which a thin polyethylene tube 39 is placed and isconnected atone end to air blower 40 and connected at its other end tooutlet box 41. The tank is closed except for water intake pipe 42 andwater overflow pipe 43. Pipe 42 is connected by flexible hose 44 to acold water faucet 45.

In use, as air is blown through the tube 39, the cold water cools thetube and air inside so that cool air is blown on back into a room. Drainpipe 46 connected to intermediate pipe 47 along a central portion oftube 39 allows condensed moisture from the air to be drained out.

In order to completely cool every portion of the air passing through thetube 39, the tube is made to squirm in the cold water so that every airportion contacts the cold tube surface. This tube squirming isaccomplished by pumping the air at intermittant intervals into the tube.This is done by entering air passing through spaced apart openings 48 ona wheel 49 rotated by the blower motor 50 that interupts the steady airflow. Thus the intermittant air causes a pulsation in the tube asintermittant amounts of air pass therethrough.

Thus different forms of a simple dehumidifier are provided.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it isunderstood that such changes will be within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as is defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dehumidifier device comprising in combination: a liquid containablevessel having an aperture in a lower portion therof and having anopening in an upperportion thereof adapted to have liquid and iceintroduced therethrough into the liquid containable vessel; a tubularconduit structure having an air inlet at one end thereof and an airoutlet at an opposite end thereof, mounted with the inlet and outletsubstantially exterior to inner space defined within the liquidcontainable vessel and having a predetermined major proportion of thetubular conduit. structure extending through the inner space positionedto be below liquid level when liquid is within the liquid containablevessel, a drain hole being defined in a lower wall of a portion of thetubular conduit structure positioned at a substantially lowest levelrelative to other portions of the tubular conduit structure such thatcondensed water within the tubular conduit structure isgravity-drainable through the drain hole; a drain conduit means forsealably mating at an upper open end thereof within said drain hole andthe drain conduit means being further for extending sealably throughsaid aperture of the liquid containable vessel such that condensed wateris drainable therethrough to an exterior of the liquid containablevessel from within the tubular conduit structure; and an aluminum liningwithin said inner space lining said liquid containable vessel.

2. A dehumidifier device of claim 1, including a coolant media withinsaid inner space at a level such that the tubular conduit structure isimmersed with said major proportion below liquid level of the coolantmedia.

3. A dehumidifier device of claim 2, in which said drain conduit meansincludes threaded structure defining said upper open end, the threadedstructure being threadedly mateable to structure of and defining saiddrain hole and being in a mated state, the drain conduit means furtherincluding an enlarged portion located within said inner space and beingof predetermined largeness larger than outer dimensions of said aperturesuch that the enlarged portion is sealably seatable within said aperturewhen drawn downwardly thereinto, and the drain conduit means furtherincluding a clamping structure and element 'for tightening downwardlythe enlarged portion sealably to seat within said aperture.

4. A dehumidifier device of claim 2 in which the clamping structure andelement include respectively male threads on a portion of drain outletstructure defining a drain outlet of the drain conduit means, and athreaded nut element tightened onto said male threads such that theenlarged portion is drawn sealably against vessel structure definingsaid aperture 5. A dehumidifier device of claim 4, in which said coolantmedia includes ice in ethylene glycol and water.

6. A dehumidifier device of claim 5, including a blower means forpumping air to be edhumidified into the air inlet of the tubular conduitstructure.

7. A dehumidifier device of claim 1, in which said tubular conduit meanscomprises as a major proportion thereof a thin polyethylene tube andpulsating means for the polyethylene tube to squirm within said innerspace.

8. A dehumidifier device of claim 7, including an adjacent tankcompartment containing a raised screen mesh upon which a continuationportion of said tubular conduit means extends, and a quantity of solidcalcium chloride upon said screen mesh, and a drain outlet port definedin a bottom of the adjacent tank compartment positioned for drainage ofliquid and dissolved calcium chloride.

1. A dehumidifier device comprising in combination: a liquid containablevessel having an aperture in a lower portion therof and having anopening in an upperportion thereof adapted to have liquid and iceintroduced therethrough into the liquid containable vessel; a tubularconduit structure having an air inlet at one end thereof and an airoutlet at an opposite end thereof, mounted with the inlet and outletsubstantially exterior to inner space defined within the liquidcontainable vessel and having a predetermined major proportion of thetubular conduit structure extending through the inner space positionedto be below liquid level when liquid is within the liquid containablevessel, a drain hole being defined in a lower wall of a portion of thetubular conduit structure positioned at a substantially lowest levelrelative to other portions of the tubular conduit structure such thatcondensed water within the tubular conduit structure isgravity-drainable through the drain hole; a drain conduit means forsealably mating at an upper open end thereof within said drain hole andthe drain conduit means being further for extending sealably throughsaid aperture of the liquid containable vessel such that condensed wateris drainable therethrough to an exterior of the liQuid containablevessel from within the tubular conduit structure; and an aluminum liningwithin said inner space lining said liquid containable vessel.
 2. Adehumidifier device of claim 1, including a coolant media within saidinner space at a level such that the tubular conduit structure isimmersed with said major proportion below liquid level of the coolantmedia.
 3. A dehumidifier device of claim 2, in which said drain conduitmeans includes threaded structure defining said upper open end, thethreaded structure being threadedly mateable to structure of anddefining said drain hole and being in a mated state, the drain conduitmeans further including an enlarged portion located within said innerspace and being of predetermined largeness larger than outer dimensionsof said aperture such that the enlarged portion is sealably seatablewithin said aperture when drawn downwardly thereinto, and the drainconduit means further including a clamping structure and element fortightening downwardly the enlarged portion sealably to seat within saidaperture.
 4. A dehumidifier device of claim 2 in which the clampingstructure and element include respectively male threads on a portion ofdrain outlet structure defining a drain outlet of the drain conduitmeans, and a threaded nut element tightened onto said male threads suchthat the enlarged portion is drawn sealably against vessel structuredefining said aperture.
 5. A dehumidifier device of claim 4, in whichsaid coolant media includes ice in ethylene glycol and water.
 6. Adehumidifier device of claim 5, including a blower means for pumping airto be edhumidified into the air inlet of the tubular conduit structure.7. A dehumidifier device of claim 1, in which said tubular conduit meanscomprises as a major proportion thereof a thin polyethylene tube andpulsating means for the polyethylene tube to squirm within said innerspace.
 8. A dehumidifier device of claim 7, including an adjacent tankcompartment containing a raised screen mesh upon which a continuationportion of said tubular conduit means extends, and a quantity of solidcalcium chloride upon said screen mesh, and a drain outlet port definedin a bottom of the adjacent tank compartment positioned for drainage ofliquid and dissolved calcium chloride.